CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — A plane slid off the taxiway at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport on Sunday morning.
Airport Fire Chief Bill Major said the incident happened at 8:38 a.m. with a Delta plane arriving from LaGuardia Airport. He said they landed without incident on the runway, but then the plane slid off the taxiway.
The wheel of the plane — which had 68 passengers and four crew members on board — became stuck for some time, but the plane was later removed. No injuries were reported.
"The weather and icing is an issue for the air field," Airport Fire Chief Bill Major said. "It's one of the bigger challenges they have because it's hard to keep up with. They do a great job with doing that with the chemical that they put down.
"The standard procedure is to put the chemical down before it starts to ice up, and then continually work it. They also have their broom trucks and the sweepers out there, and with the plows they are moving the little bit of accumulation that's on the runways. It does cause extra work for them, but they're used to it, and they prepare for this every day."
The passengers were then transported from the taxiway to the terminal, and Delta officials were working with passengers on their travel plans.
The flight was for Endeavor Air, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines.
Major said airport crews put down 6,000 to 8,000 gallons of potassium acetate on the runways and taxiways, along with some sand and gravel. He added that "the air field was at its full capacity" with workers.
"(The weather) turned fairly quick," Major said, later adding, "the runway had time to cool down, and the rain hit again, and then it iced up fairly quick."
Major said crews will repair any ruts or damage on the taxiway before it will be cleared for use.
